Weekend's Here!

Am glad it's the weekend! Our new patio is in and solid. I got a delivery of firewood today, and the step-kids and I are planning on having a little hot dog roast tomorrow evening.

Thanksgiving is almost here and I am looking forward to hosting my friends and family. I thank God for my employment and my husband's employment. We are very blessed and fortunate.

I'm also keeping in mind those who are in a less fortunate position, especially considering this really rough economy. Tomorrow the boy scouts come back for their Scouting for Food pickup. At church, we have a "giving tree," so I grabbed a leaf and picked up a couple off items for that. Sunday, there's an event called Cranksgiving that, weather permitting, I'll also participate in. It's organized by St. Louis BicycleWORKS. It's a food drive done by bicycle with the proceeds going to Food Outreach. I especially like this last event because it's a way to give back and get some much-needed exercise on my bike!

Kitty Needs a Home!!

A stray kitty showed up at our back door and he's a great boy -- loving, affectionate, trusting, and loyal. We named him Gus. Unfortunately, we have more than our quota of kitties and can't take him in.

He has grey fur with white paws, tail tip, and chest. He is neutered, was de-wormed and given rabies shots last week. I have the paperwork to show all the things I had done for him.

Gus would be ideal for a household with no other cats. The one drawback with Gus is he has FIV, which is why he would be better off in a single-cat household. The vet's office says he is about two years old. FIV, while incurable, is managed by keeping a close eye on your cat's health.

Give this great kitty a chance. Drop me an e-mail at addyforjunk[AT]hotmail.com if you have a home for him.

Under the weather

A little under the weather today, so I am letting myself rest from cycling.

Thursday night I did a 24 mile ride with some friends and it was raining for the first 10 miles, so that might have helped whatever bug I had get a foothold. Anyway, the ride was fun and it was worth it.

I picked up a saddle for the commuter bike that is like the one I have on my road bike. The saddle on my commuter bike is comfortable for about 15 miles, so I need something that I can use for longer distances, so I can use the commuter bike for touring.

Looking forward to the Tour of Missouri coming up next month. Very exciting event!

Even more exciting is I'm also very much looking forward to doing my first ever MS150. I decided to have a little bake sale every Monday in August at work to fundraise for the event. People at work have been really supportive of it. There are two different items from which to choose each Monday. Our next items are cheesecake brownies and banana crumb muffins. Should go over well!

"I live with MS"

I had never in my life heard someone say those words to me until today. Whew ... that is a tough sentence to hear from someone!

I've been preparing for the upcoming MS 150 bike ride and at work I posted some flyers about a little bake sale I'll be doing around the office every Monday in August to raise funds. I also distributed the flyer via e-mail to the people on my floor. Today, I received an e-mail from one of my co-workers thanking me for what I was doing.

I stopped by his cube and chatted with him for about 30 minutes. He was so appreciative to me for what I was doing to help out with the MS ride and there was a wonderfully genuine and deep gratitude in his eyes when he spoke to me about the ride and his struggle with MS. I was very touched by his willingness to share that with me; it was a wonderful gift.

Don't Forget

In the busy-ness of preparing for Thanksgiving, don't forget about those who, for one reason or another, may not have any plans this year. Why not invite a co-worker who you know is going through a divorce or maybe someone you see at the coffee shop in the morning who you know is alone. It'll let them know you care, even if they don't take you up on the offer.

Also, don't forget to set aside a donation or some volunteer time to give to your favorite food pantry.

Parish Auction

St. Stephen Protomartyr Catholic Church 2007 Auction pics.

Lots of people! Lots of food and drinks. Good fundraising for our parish. Great job by the organizers!