A Nice Surprise!

Yesterday's hike was a 9 mile, up and back, climbing hike that was very symbolic of our fundraising efforts. We had great views of a lush green valley in the distance but the path we were on right beneath our feet seemed all dried up and kept going on and on and on, up and up and up. At the top of the climb there was a shaded bench area where we relaxed and ate our snacks and looked down at where we had just climbed from. The view from the top was pretty nice, and eventually EVERYONE on our team made it. I can't wait until we get that same view WHEN we reach our fundraising goal of $8000. The second part of the hike was, as they say, all down hill from there. I am convinced that hikers invented that beautiful phrase!

Our fundraising efforts are very similar to these hikes. At times it seems daunting and feels like we bit off more than we could chew. At other times we feel like we have come a long way and feel proud. There are discouraging moments, and extremely rewarding ones. One of the things I love about hiking is that it is all about discovery and exploring places I've never been. It is full of great surprises, like the one we had when we went to REI after our hike.

We went there because Stacy needed some convertible hiking pants for our training. While we were there we both realized that we have been doing so much for others through our fundraising, that we have done nothing for ourselves in a really long time. We decided that it would be fitting to buy her a dress and me a nice shirt for us to wear at our victory dinner on the night of our Half Dome hike. While Stacy was trying on her dress, a woman was sitting on the floor outside of the fitting room looking at different suitcases. She was trying to see which one would be the best suited for her trip to help people in Haiti (which we found out later).

She heard us talking and asked what we were training for. We explained that we are hiking and raising money for LLS and I jokingly asked her if she would like to donate. Her response was, "As a matter of fact I would," and she began to write a check right there on the spot! I did not expect her to say that, so I think I was so excited that I ended up talking her two friends' ears off about our hikes while she was writing the check. Meanwhile, Stacy was popping her head out of the fitting room as the three ladies told her how good she looked in the dress. I was stoked 'cause she never believes me!

When they left to make their purchase, Stacy said that they had no idea how happy they had just made us. I told her I think they did! In fact, I remember saying to the ladies that I was having trouble smiling because my lips were so chapped from the hike, but I was happy on the inside. They definitely made our day!

Running into these three women was an unlikely surprise that let us know we are on the right track and should continue to be determined and to not give up on our cause. The world is a better place with people like them in it who are so willing to drop everything to help people in need! It was an encouraging and inspiring moment for us that will be one of many we will remember for a long time after we have reached our goal (especially since she shares the same first name as the person we are doing all of this for). It also made us realize that it is important to reward ourselves along the way for all of our hard work (even if that means sitting in the trunk of a Honda Civic and using the trunk lid as shade as you enjoy a bottle of water after a long hike). I hope we get compliments on our new clothes at the victory dinner so I can tell people about the day we bought them!

This blog is dedicated to our new friend, and we wish her the best of luck in Haiti!

One of the women we met is a cancer survivor herself, and made this video to help women deal with their cancer diagnosis and treatment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9choRJAmoYA

And there will be sorrow no more

"And there will be sorrow no more" is the motto of this journey! Our goal is to raise enough money so that others don't have to suffer. So, we are doing everything we can to get to our $8000 goal. One of the fundraising ideas we had was to have a garage sale, as many of you already know. And the sale was a huge success; we raised almost $900 toward finding a cure! So, I want to start off by thanking everyone who donated items for us to sell at the sale! We had an entire driveway and yard full of wonderful items to sell, and it was because of you! In fact, at one point, I thought there wouldn't be enough room for it all. And to think, we got all of those donations from one Facebook post (thanks, Phil for posting it!)!

Throughout the day, we had many customers, and even some friends and family stop by to show their support! It really meant a lot to see you Sunday and thank you for all of your support!

The day began Sunday morning, the 21st of March (which also happened to be the first day of Spring, which I think is fitting from a "new life" perspective) at 4:15 am. Yes, I said it! We woke up at 4:15 am. (and that's after an almost 11 mile hike Saturday morning in Lake Elsinore!) We loaded up Phil's truck and arrived at our friend Brandi's house by 5:00 am to set up. It was dark while we set up tables and blankets on the lawn to display items for sale. Eventually the sun came up, and we were ready to sell! No one came while we were setting up though, and I thought, "No one's going to come buy our stuff!" Boy, was I wrong! We had some mad rushes of people at times! Phil and I sold items, and our friend Brandi and her two awesome children helped us sell baked goods. We worked for 12 straight hours that day! But this whole adventure actually began weeks earlier with one simple Facebook post. For weeks, we piled more and more items in our spare room and in Brandi's garage. And the night before the sale, we went to Corner Bakery and Panera Bread to pick up day-end baked goods. Phil went to Corner Bakery where he was excited about the box of baked goods he got. He even sent me a text picture showing me! I was stoked, until I saw what Panera was giving us! 6 trash bags full plus a huge box of baked goods! It was enough to fill the entire trunk and back seat of my Civic! I still can't believe it!

After working for 12 hours, at 5:00 pm finally called it quits! We packed up the remaining items, but weren't sure what we'd do with what was left! We had sold 3/4 of what we started with, but we still had enough left to fill my Civic and Phil's truck. We remembered that one of our fellow hikers was planning to have a sale this weekend for the same cause, so we asked if she'd like our remaining items. She said, "yes! Bring it over!" Our day felt complete: a long day of selling resulting in ~$900, visits by friends and family members, and now it was coming full circle, we'd donated to someone else! We were content, but we had to get all the stuff to Orange.

So, we headed out on the 22 fwy to Orange to a street called Palmyra. The whole way over, I was thinking of our friends who live on that same street, and thought we should stop in and say hi if we are close. Little did I know my friends live about 3 doors down from our fellow hiker. So, we even ended the day with a quick visit with our friends! Small world! And our day was complete!

I'm glad it's over, because now we get to focus on the party to thank our donors! The invitations will go out later today, but you are all invited! Sunday, April 25 2:00-5:00pm at Don Ramon's Mexican Restaurant! Come join us to win awesome prizes!

Thanks again to everyone who's donated to us (either in money or items, or both), who's helped us (Brandi and her family among others), and who's supporting us (in any way)! You are making this adventure possible!

Stacy

Shots Fired!!!

Mountain lions, snakes, coyotes, twisting an ankle or tearing a knee ligament (again). These are the things I think of that might cause me physical harm on the trail. Bullets somehow never made that list yet that's exactly what we had to fear when the sounds of target practice could be heard loud and clear from a group of campers just across the ravine from where we were hiking.

It wasn't scary when we only heard one or two shots because we figured they were just hunting. When the shots got more frequent, all I could think of was how many Miller High Life's had been emptied out (well before noon) to create their target range. I'm strictly speculating and assuming here, but thoughts go through your head when you hike, especially when you hear gun fire. The hike was full of surprises like when we were taking a lunch break and we got a Stearn warning from "the man" (park rangers). Supposedly you're not suppose to have too many people HIKE on certain TRAILS. I guess it's nice of them to put them there for the use of local wildlife.

Anyways, the hike was great and I gotta give it up to Stacy for completing an endurance hike while she is sick! BIG UPS!!!

Actual Footage (Not a reinnactment):

Punk, Metal, Compromise

It should be no secret by now that Stacy and I are big fans of music (loud, fast and hard music to be specific) and love going to shows. Her first love is punk rock and mine is hard rock, or metal. Her favorite band is Green Day, and mine Metallica, but the one band we can both agree on as our collective favorite is southern California's very own Bad Religion. Their speed and intellect have held our attention for many years and we have seen them play live many times. Last nights show was pretty amazing and we had a pretty close spot to the band as the photos can attest. It was part of their "30 Years Tour,1980-2010" because that's how long they have been a band. By my count, that's a pretty amazing feet for any band. They have been around long enough to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame and then some.

No pun intended (well maybe), but speaking of feet, one of the first things I noticed at the show was a Bad Religion t-shirt at the merch. table. Part of the graphic had a large footprint stomped in the middle of the back with hiking boot tread. Coincidence? Maybe?!? It definitely made us feel like we were in the right place, that's for sure! The first time Stacy ever met Danny was at a Bad Religion show back when we were dating and now we are hiking in his memory and we see the bands logo with a boot print that looked strikingly similar to one of the hike team logos from Team In Training. I would've bought it if it weren't for the fact that money's tight right now. The fact that the singer, Greg Graffin, gave a shout out to Apple Valley was also a little too coincidental since it is part of the tri-city High Desert area where most of my friends and I all grew up.

As always, I try and have a point to these stories, so here it goes. This is Bad Religion's "30 year tour" and we are now in our 30's as well. They are showing no signs of slowing down, and neither are we! Our sweaty hike clothes, muddy boots, rising donation meter, and the fact that we can still hold our own on the floor at a B.R. show are proof of our determination! The boot tread shirt reminded Stacy and I of how we are trying to stomp a mud-hole into cancer and that we should always try and remain young at heart, no matter how many grays or wrinkles we may acquire. Why? Because we want to! What can I say, it's our punk/metal attitude! That actually reminds me about the time I asked my grandpa why he didn't have any gray hairs. His response: "Because I don't want any!" It just goes to show that you are only as old as you want to be!

The only difference between us as adults and us as young little whipper-snappers is that now we are trying to use our energy to help others as well. Not that going to this show was helping anybody in any way aside from letting us blow off some much accumulated steam, but it was a good reminder of why we are working so hard to raise money for Leukemia research in a lot of ways for us.

If you have an inner rebel in you that would like to use your forces for good, please help our cause by donating at: http://pages.teamintraining.org/ocie/Yosemit110/TeamLostDogs

We are almost half way to our goal!

We are almost half way to our goal of raising $8000 to help find a cure for leukemia and other blood cancers! And even though we are hiking to Half Dome, we want to reach our whole goal!

We are planning a very special celebration in honor of our donors on Sunday, April 25 at Don Ramon's Mexican Restaurant in Huntington Beach, CA from 2:00-5:00 pm. Of course, all are welcome!

We will have appetizers, soft drinks, karaoke, raffle prizes, and a silent auction! Invitations will be sent soon, but save the date now! We look forward to seeing you there!

We couldn't have gotten this far without your donations! So, thank you! And keep them coming! Like I said, we are only about half way, so tell your friends!

Thanks for your support!
Phil and Stacy

Mission Moment Day

Today was the most beautiful hike we have had so far as we got to experience a variety of scenery changes all along the way. We hiked through a canyon that was recovering from fire damage from a fire that occurred a few years ago. It was now a very green area with creek bridges leading to an area with pitted sandstone cliffs carved to look like we were standing on Mars. We then hiked out of the canyon to a very high ridge that overlooked the entire valley we had just hiked through. It almost made us forget that the hike began in a McDonald’s parking lot.

That parking lot was actually the most special part of today’s hike as it was my turn to give a “mission moment” to the team. A mission moment is a weekly story about someone who has been affected by leukemia or cancer told by any given member of our team which is meant to give the team motivation, inspiration, and a reminder of why we are working so hard physically and on our fundraising. As readers of this blog are well aware, Stacy and I are hiking in memory of our friend Danny. I told a story about how we always use to randomly run into Danny at Pearl Jam and Bad Religion concerts.

The first time I ever ran into Danny at a concert was when my friend Steve (who lived in Vegas) and I were at a Pearl Jam show. Steve had the great idea to sneak down into the pit area when security wasn’t looking. I followed his lead and I was home free, but Steve was not so lucky. He was taken away by security and I was alone in the pit, in Vegas, with no ride or knowledge of how to get to Steve’s house where I was staying that night. I decided to enjoy the show and worry about my situation later. While in the pit, who do I run into? Danny! Coincidentally, he knew how to get to Steve’s house. The story had a happy ending when Steve was let go by security and snuck into the pit a second time, this time successfully, to catch up with us and enjoy the rest of the show.

The point of my story (aside from Danny saving my life that night in Vegas) was that there was a certain predictability about when and where you might run into Danny. The flip side of that coin was that it was completely unpredictable when he was diagnosed with leukemia. Ironically, Danny was diagnosed with leukemia the day after I went to another Pearl Jam show with him years later. My mission statement to the team was that the disease is completely indiscriminate and unpredictable and that we are participating in Team In Training so that we can raise funds to be put toward research to find a cure to make remission a predictable outcome for future leukemia patients.

If you would like to help make this possible, please donate at our purple “Team Lost Dogs” widget located in the top right-hand corner of this blog. We thank you for any and all support you give us!

Phil

It's too early and cold for this! Our first real hike!

This week's hike started off Friday night (well, at least mentally it did) when I realized that we had to drive to Lake Elsinore at 6:30 am the next morning. I did not want to drive an hour to hike in the 45 degree whether, but then I remembered why we are doing this (or should I say that Phil reminded me)...people who suffer from cancer do not get to say, "no it's too early for treatment, or it's too cold for treatment!" They just get it to live. So, I got over myself, and we went out to buy me a waterproof/ warm coat because the forecast predicted rain once again.

Even though I had come to terms with the early morning I was going to endure the next day, I have to admit that hearing "Eurotrance" at 6:00 am was a bit alarming (pardon the pun). Nonetheless, I got out of bed (not until I had hit SNOOZE several times), got dressed, made breakfast, and headed out to Lake Elsinore.

This was our first real hike! If you have been reading our posts, you know that our hikes up to this point have really been walks up paved hills. Saturday we were in a forest with dirt and trees. It was exciting! We completed about 6.5 miles in total. And although the rain threatened to shower us, it was just that, a threat. We managed to stay warm and dry! The hike was fairly flat with little climbing in most parts. There were a few more challenging spots that required work, and at one point we had a choice to take a longer, flatter path or a steeper, shorter path. We choose the steeper path, and I thought it was a great idea to run the first part of it. What was I thinking? I eventually slowed down and allowed Phil and another hiker to pass me, while I stopped to catch my breath. I stayed right behind them the rest of the way up though, and, in what felt like a blink of an eye, we were at the top.

I think we were out for a little under 4 hours (partially because of the stops we made...when you hike in a group, it is different than hiking just the 2 of us), and made it out of the forest just before the rain hit!

It was a good hike, and we are looking forward to many more!

On a separate note, along with training physically for this hike, we are still faced with another challenge: raising $8000 toward a cure! So, that being said, we are planning a few events. The first one is a garage sale that we will be holding to help us raise money toward our fundraising goal. It'll be on Sunday, March 21. If you have anything you would like to get rid of and would like to donate it to our garage sale, let us know!

The other one we are planning will be an open house thank you to our donors party. You will all be invited to that event. There will be food, raffle prizes, and perhaps one of my famous cakes..we are still working out the details, but we will keep you posted!

Thank you for all your support through this challenge. We couldn't do it without you!

Stacy