P-U-R-P-L-E, Purple is What That Spells

Lily had her end of the year program today.  Her class went through all the colors and sang a song with each.  Even though Lily was in the purple group, she knew all of the songs (and the accompanying hand movements).

After singing everyone else's songs, Lily's group sang theirs...

P-U-R-P-L-E, purple, purple

P-U-R-P-L-E, purple's what that spells

Purple grapes on a vine

Purple Kool-aids fine

P-U-R-P-L-E, purple's what that spells

As you can see, Lily is the Kool-Aid, which I think is funny considering she has never had it...

But she is still pretty darn cute...

The green group...

The black group...

and the white...

I really wanted to post the videos on my blog, but you will have to look for them on Facebook.  Take the time to watch them, especially if you don't know your colors!

The Raising of Funds

I had to write a letter, a letter that will hopefully help me reach my fundraising goal.  Although it is very hard for me to ask people for things, especially money, I found this letter to be easy to write because it is for a cause that I truly believe in.  Hopefully it will stir emotion in the hearts of my friends and family and they will in turn believe that this is a cause that should be just as important to them. 

Dearest Family and Friends,

On July 10-11, 2010, I have signed up for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in San Francisco.  It is a 2-day walk that will total 39.3 miles ( a marathon and a half).  Did you know that every three minutes a woman gets diagnosed with breast cancer?  Every three minutes.  It is time that we worked together to change that number.  

It is likely that each of us has been affected by breast cancer in some way, whether it be a loved one, your neighbor, or even your best friend.  For me, it was my grandmother, Carmella Lombardo, which is why this cause is so very important to me.  For those of you who knew my grandmother, you know that she was a woman of strength, a fighter.  Unfortunately, even a woman with so much strength was unable to fight this horrible disease and on November 12, 2007, my dear grandmother lost her battle to breast cancer.  It is for this reason that I want to walk, that I need to walk.  On July 10, I plan on walking alongside my mother, Maureen Spiva, and my cousins, Christi Langstaff Villegas and Tami Langstaff, to honor the memory of my late grandmother, Carmella Lombardo.  However, I cannot do this alone.  I need your help.  I must raise $1800 for the Avon Foundation in order to walk for this incredible cause and I only have 9 weeks to do it.  So I am asking you, please help me, a person who has witnessed the effects of breast cancer firsthand, help you so that you may never have to bear witness to that yourself.

To help make the donation process easier, I have enclosed a self-addressed stamped envelope with the hopes that no matter how big or small, you would make a donation.  If you prefer to pay by credit/debit card, you can go to my personal page at www.avonwalk.org.  I know times have been hard on many of us and you may be unable to donate at this time.  If so, please pass this information along to others who may be better able to.  Just remember, every little bit helps.

I thank you in advance for your support for this cause and hopefully with your help, we will fight, and this time, we will win!

With Sincerest Thanks,

Carrie (Spiva) Murphy

To pay by check, please make the check payable to Avon Walk for Breast Cancer and please return to me in provided envelope.

To pay with credit/debit card, please do the following: 1.) Go to www.avonwalk.org  2.) Click on the purple “Donate Now” button 3.) Type in my first name (Carrie) and last name (Murphy) and click on the “Find a Walker/Crew Member” button 4.) Click on my name and when you come to my personal page, click on the pink “Donate Now” button and make your donation.  Thank you again!

Walk This Way

After much hemming and hawing, and with a little push from my friend, Marissa, I have decided to do the two-day Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.  I will walk a total of 39.3 miles in two days, with the help of my mom and two cousins.  I am walking for a cause I truly believe in, but more importantly, I am walking in the memory of my grandmother.  I could not imagine walking these two days in San Francisco with anyone else besides my mom and my cousins.  I think this walk will help us, certainly me, mend our broken hearts and fill the emptiness that the death of my grandma caused.  I am not sure what emotion I will feel as I cross the Golden Gate Bridge or as I walk into Sausalito and along the ocean, but I know that as I am writing this I feel:

Happy

 So happy to be part of something that is so much bigger than any of us as individuals

Pride

So proud of the fact that I found a cause I believe in and now I am trying to make a difference.  So proud of my mom for taking all of the necessary steps to allow her to walk beside me.

Committed

 To training to walk this long distance, a distance I have never walked in a two day span

Hopeful

 So hopeful to think that what we will be doing on this day will prevent us from having to do this in the future

The Road

"The Road is the profoundly moving story of a journey.  It boldly imagines a future in which no hope remains, but in which a father and his son, 'each the other's world entire', are sustained by love."

Heavy?  Yes.

Well-written?  Yes.

Disturbing?  Yes.

Would I recommend it?  I certainly would.

Although this story is quite dark and is set in a postapocalyptic world, it is a quite beautiful story of just how far a father's love can take two people.  A father who would do ANYTHING for his son in an environment so bleak that you wonder why you should even go on.

Pretty as a Picture

Lily and Sophia's Spring dance recital is quickly approaching, but before they can dance, they must take pictures...

Ice Princesses

The girls just can't seem to get enough of Disney.  Disney on Ice came to town and we were not going to miss it (thanks to Uncle Boo Boo and Auntie Katie/Girlfriend)...

This Disney adventure also brought the girls back in touch with their friends...

I let the girls pick one souvenir each and they went with the spinning Minnie that didn't stop spinning through the entire show...

 

Of all the characters, they were VERY eager to see Princess Tiana and they were not disappointed...

 

Discoveries

Discovering new parks is the best because it gives my girls plenty of opportunity to explore and gives me many opportunities for great photographs...

 

 

Today gave me one of my favorite photos of Sissy...

I just wasn't sure which one I liked better...