YAY! (over and over and over again)

WOOT! WOOT! RYAN AND DAWN! You DID it. You ran your marathon this weekend for the most amazing cause on the planet: curing childhood cancer. You pushed your body to the absolute limit and powered through 26.2 miles of hills, change in terrain, toenails falling off (you are so hardcore, Dawn!) and physical and mental depletion all in TEAM GIDEON love. The total amount of money these two donated to Curesearch was $3159.20 in our Gideon's honor. Being in that atmosphere just filled me up with such joy. The air was heavy with extreme accomplishment and determination at that finish line. The runners' attitudes were sheathed in grace, humility, humor and defiance towards the body's undeniable limits. Each runner reminded me of so many children and their own battles with cancer. Seeing that blue pavilion in the distance, hearing the cheering crowd, and picturing that finish line of curing Gideon's cancer gets us through so many hurdles and walls of negativity. The gorgeous parallel of a marathon and battling cancer kept making me weepy before I could even pinpoint what it was that was getting me emotional. I got to see people cross the finish! They won! They triumphed. I can't wait until we get there, as well! Team Gideon will keep on keeping on!














Besides Ryan and Dawn crossing the finish, my favorite runner was this man in the picture below. He is 84 years old and finished a half marathon. Seeing this in person and witnessing these volunteers helping him cross in those last few feet when his body was finished and ready to collapse was a firework-in-the-soul experience. Look at him. Wow.



Now, it is your turn, friends! We would love to have as many WALKERS as possible in Gideon's honor at the CureSearch Walk on May 21 at 8 a.m. at the Celery Flats. We have already raised $2,500 (this amount is separate from Ryan and Dawn's amount) for the team, so if you CHOOSE to walk, you do not necessarily have to fundraise. Just pay the ten dollars to register (and kids are free if you sign them up). To register for the walk, please click here. Under "Welcome to the Team Page of Gideon's Good Fishies," click "JOIN OUR TEAM" in blue. Your page will be set-up, and you MAY begin to fundraise, but you don't have to. Like I said, we just want people to walk with us in solidarity to STOP CHILDHOOD CANCER! Please join us!

IN OTHER HAPPY NEWS...
Ruth Kaiser of Spontaneous Smiley sent this song to me as a birthday present. It is the best gift I have gotten, really. The giggles in the background are Brody and Gideon's belly laughs. Their laughter is the most glorious sound to ever reverberate in my eardrums, honest. Here it is...


For my early elementary teaching best buds, you can download the song to use in your class here. Be a part of the GAGGLE of giggles! :)

Gideon is almost done with steroids this week, so I will say that is HAPPY NEWS as well. Woah. Lots of puke, lots of food for him, and lots of personality conflicts (such a sweet way for me to put it)... You know the steroid drill around these parts, and we are always happy to get through that. As I said before, he is a creative thinker and is more apt to share those thoughts while on steroids (think of that Micro-Minis commercial voiceover or the disclaimer voice at the end of commercials...that's Gideon right now). My favorite Mother's Day present from him was this "Flower Soup for Princesses." If I drink it from a LONG shape (like a rectangle), my hair will grow longer and shinier. Also, it will give me more magic, which may or may not cause me to sprout sparkly fairy wings. Before I dipped my spoon in, Gideon said, "MAKE SURE TO PRETEND TO DRINK IT, Momma. It is 'poisant!'" Poison has a "t" at the end in Gideon's lexicon. It gives it that oomph of finality, I think.
SooOOoOOoo, here it is: FLOWER PRINCESS SOUP! Bon Appetit!

(Make sure to gargle with fallen stardust after ingesting for the full effect.)