Herothon

I know people always say that money can't buy you happiness and I agree with that to an extent, but still . . . I'd like the chance to prove that theory wrong ya know? I totally wish I was just loaded with more money than I knew what to do with! I mean who doesn't!?

I went on an impromptu road trip last week to visit my parents in Arizona. My brother was driving out to pick up a new car, so he stopped in Texas for a night and Finn, Roscoe, and I joined him for the drive to Arizona and back. While on the way out there my brother was listening to Dave Ramsey. In addition to making me want to be all sorts of frugal and financially savvy,  he said something that I totally agree with about how being generous with your money and giving is one of the most important things we can teach our children (in regards to money) and that there's nothing that makes you feel better than giving.

And while yes, I'd love to be rich so we could build our dream home or buy a boat, or just splurge on everything in the Pottery Barn catalog, I'd really love to be rich just to turn around and give all (err, a lot) of it away. I think that is my dream job - to be in charge of picking different charities and causes and then giving them money. It's already enjoyable doing it with your own money, I can't imagine how sweet it would be to do it with someone else's money! Any rich people out there need a hand?

My college roommate, Katie, and I ran the Herothon Half Marathon this past weekend in San Antonio. The Herothon was powered by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and since we both have close family and friends affected by both types of cancer, we decided we wanted to raise funds for LLS. And wouldn't ya know it, even though we asked for donations only two weeks prior to the race, we exceeded our goal by almost double. It was so wonderful to see the donations come in and it didn't matter the amount, because each one made a difference, and even though I can't take credit for the generous amount that was raised, it did make me feel good to be a small part of it. That Dave Ramsey knows what he's talking about - giving does feel really good.

We made signs for some of our family/friends who have battled both Leukemia and different forms of Lymphoma  Those signs were along the course at mile 11, the Hero's Mile. 

The race itself was really awesome. There were over 2,000 runners in the race, many survivors of cancer, and people of all shapes and sizes. Since it was the "Herto"thon, there were lots of people wearing capes during the run or dressed up as superheros. We even passed Captain America on the race - he must have been having an off day. There were also two firefighters running in their uniform - pants, jackets, AND helmet. The race went much better than either of us had anticipated and it was so wonderful to see how much good was done for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. While I'm walking a bit wonky today and my hips and knees are sore, I love the high you get when you do a race like this  - if only it can be that exhilarating each time I go for a run! A big thank you to all of you who supported us, through donations and words of encouragement. It meant a lot.

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