Why Do I Walk?

I do a lot of walking.  It's my favorite form of exercise.  I can do it alone and enjoy the quiet, I can push Nora in the stroller and we can chat about our surroundings, or I can walk with Brent or a friend and can carry on a conversation easily while covering several miles.

Spring and fall are the best for walking in Minnesota.  The bugs are tame, the temps are cool, and the colors are beautiful!

This weekend I will be walking for a purpose: to support two causes that are near and dear to my heart.

Tonight, we'll be at the Stay Out of the Sun Run/Walk.  Brent will run the 10k and I'll be walking the 5k with the kids and my cousin Steph.  We started participating in the local fundraiser for Melanoma research three years ago.  It means so much to me to support the cause in honor of my uncle David who lost his battle to malignant melanoma 21 years ago.   I have so many great memories of David, but here are a few of my favorites:

• He was a clown in the local small town parade and I remember how much fun he had with it (and thinking, as a kid, that it was pretty cool having my uncle in the parade:))
• Driving in his old truck around a corner on a gravel road and him telling me I needed to hold the passenger door handle so the door wouldn't swing open...I know I didn't succeed at least once and it flew open.  It terrified me, but he knew I was safe and got a good chuckle out of it:)
• Near the end of his battle, he bought me a bracelet with my name engraved and a Precious Moment jewelry box to keep it it.  I still have them both and I think of David each time I see them.
• He had great curly hair.  He was a farmer and worked through all kinds of heat, humidity, rain, etc and I remember his curls popping out around his baseball hat:)

He was a good man, and we lost him far too young.  

Tomorrow, I'll be at the Strides for Stroke Walk.  Nora and I will be walking the 5k with a few of my coworkers.  I started working in the Mayo Clinic Stroke Center last fall and I work with some amazing doctors, nurses, nurse specialists, etc who provide for the stroke patients who find themselves at Mayo.  My coworkers are passionate about their work and their patients and support many through a difficult time in their lives, both physically and emotionally.  

This quote from the Minnesota Stroke Association site says it well:

The Minnesota Stroke Association annual Strides for Stroke exemplifies the notion of an active stroke community.  Not only does it allow us to honor stroke survivors and walk in solidarity with one another, it also raises stroke awareness and helps fund programs that benefit Minnesotans who live with the effects of stroke.  Strides for Stroke demonstrates that stroke is not an ending.  The hundreds of people walking together for a common cause is a beautiful picture of the power of community and the possibilities it represents - for survivors, their families and the people around them.

I have seen the residual effects of stroke in the lives of friend sand family and on-going support is key to recovery and life after stroke.

In a few weeks, we'll also be at the Go for the Gold Run/Walk.  We've participated in the event for a couple summers, but this year the event is closer to our hearts.  A friend I met while we were both pregnant with our daughters, is facing the horrible reality of cancer in her nearly three year old daughter.  My heart breaks for them and we want to show any support we can during this very difficult journey of treatments, surgeries, hospitalizations, etc.

It's just walking, but I also know that not everyone is blessed with the ability and/or health to walk.  I am honored to walk and financially support these important causes and to honor those currently fighting and those who have gone before.    

So Happy Together

Around Thanksgiving this past year, our kids started sharing a room.  Luke and Brent liked the idea of Luke being upstairs with the rest of us so we made room in Nora's room for both kids.  

I was pleasantly surprised how well we were able to fit all of Luke's clothes into the closet/dresser and that we had room for Nora's toddler bed and Luke's twin mattress on the floor in second bedroom upstairs.  

By February, we purchased a twin bed with space for a trundle underneath for the kids to share.  Nora moved into her first twin bed (which she looks so tiny in:)) and Luke's bed tucks nicely under Nora's bed during the day for storage.  It's a great fit for the room.  

Recently, I've been wanting to make the room a little more "their" room instead of "Nora's" room.  I was able to rearrange a few things, hang a few things we had on hand, and I'm happy with how it turned out.  

A quick tour of where this room has been:

Nursery ~ 2012

East Wall: Crib and Sweet Dreams Baby decal

West Wall: Rocker, Changing Table/Dresser, and Tree decal

Toddler Room ~ February 2014

West Wall: Crib converted to toddler bed

Shared Room ~ May 2015

West Wall: Twin bed with trundle
(added Sweet Dreams decal with tree)

Bedtime

The west wall didn't change much.  I just moved "Sweet Dreams" from the "Sweet Dreams Baby" decal over the bed. 

East Wall: Changing table/dress (flipped)
Removed Sweet Dreams Baby decal and added kids' poems

On the east wall, I flipped the changing table into the dresser.  My parents got us this awesome piece of furniture when Luke was born.  The drawers come out, the piece flips, then the drawers go back in the other direction!  Cool, huh?!  (Don't misunderstand: this does not mean Nora is potty trained;) We're just changing her on the bed now.)  I also moved around some pieces I made a while back out of the poems Brent's mom wrote for the kids when they were born.  

Luke's poem

Nora's poem

On the north wall, I moved some of the remaining shapes (moon, stars, clouds) from the "Sweet Dreams Baby" decal and added some fun pieces I made.  I was inspired by some ideas I'd seen online so I decided to make my own so I could personalize them.

North Wall (a small space between closet and door): Added decal and art

Daily Life

A day in the life of Luke and Nora sharing a room...

Mornings

• We don't have a set wake up time for the kids.  They get up in plenty of time for our morning routine of getting Luke to school, Nora to Papa & Gma's, and Jen/Brent to work.  They typically both get up around 7.  Occasionally, Nora will wake up first and announce to Luke "The sun came up! Time to wake up!"  It's very sweet, though my not-a-fan-of-morning-self feels badly for Luke:)  
• Once Luke's up for the day, he pushes his bed under Nora's and we have room to get dressed for the day.

Evenings

• Nora goes to bed around 8:15pm.  She sleeps with her "BB" (aka pink blanket), her "bear bear" (aka pink teddy bear), and likes a sippy cup of water.  We read stories before bed, which for the past six months has been her "story book" (a book of multiple Disney Adventure Stories).  Her favorite stories in the book are the "Three Musketeers" and "Goofy Blasts Off".  Once stories are read, she likes her radio and Minnie lamp turned on that projects stars on to the ceiling and she continues to "read" her story book to herself.  
• Luke goes to bed around 9pm.  He sleeps with three stuffed animals (froggy, sheepy, and a puppy) and his blanket.  You'd think that by the time Luke goes to bed that Nora would be sleeping...well, that is not the case.  She is always very happy to see brother come to bed and greets him accordingly:)  But, she knows that once Luke comes to bed, she has to be quiet so he can get rest for school.  
• Brent and I are usually headed to bed around 10pm and it is not unusual for Nora to still be awake in her bed.  Sometimes she'll announce the song she hears on the radio, or will request we leave the hall light on, or we'll simply see her little eyes open from the hallway:)  
• One funny thing we are used to each night is hearing the thud of Nora's story book hit the ground.  We know she's winding down when she pushes her story book off the bed and onto the floor:)  

All in all, the kids enjoy sharing a room and it's worked out well for all of us.  When the day comes that Luke wants his own space again, the guest bedroom downstairs will be all his again:)