Category: Giving Back

  • Blood Donation: An Easy and Important Way to Give Back

    It’s always been important for me to do some sort of charity regularly but I made a deal with myself to go outside of my norm and give back in different ways this year and do it at least monthly. So with that in mind, I read a Facebook call out that blood donation was…

  • September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

    I’m still processing the St. Jude Blogger Tour. It was a heavy topic but I came back feeling hopeful, inspired & grateful. My new blogger friend Melissa Fenton talked about  “turning guilt into gratitude” as we head back to our families and look at our healthy kids. Be grateful that we have healthy kids that can live…

  • A Upcoming Visit to Memphis

    I have some exciting news to share. Yesterday evening I invited to be a special guest for a St. Jude Blogger Tour – an exciting and educational three-day experience in Memphis, Tennessee this coming August where I will visit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, tour the facilities and witness first-hand the holistic care doctors, researchers…

  • Ways to Giving Back to Local Families in Need

    Did you know that 14 percent of U.S. households were considered “food insecure,” according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, compared to 11.1 percent in 2007, before the Great Recession began? And now the American Academy of Pediatrics is asking that pediatricians start to ask the following questions to patients’ parents: Within the past year, were you worried whether…

  • Stand Up to Cancer: 2015 Crush Cancer Event

    I love sharing information about working out and giving back. This weekend, in gyms across the country you can participate in: The 5th Annual 2015 Crush Cancer event to benefit Stand Up to Cancer!  The 5th Annual 2015 Crush Cancer event to benefit Stand Up To Cancer’s collaborative cancer research. This year, Crush Cancer will host one main event…

  • You Are Not Alone

    “We read to know we’re not alone.” ― William Nicholson, Shadowlands   This quote, by William Nicholson, in the movie Shadowlands, is one of my all time favorites and I turn to it for perspective often.  Shadowlands, a 1993 movie based on the life and love of C.S. Lewis’s life, is a film I have watched dozens of times throughout the years…

  • 2015 Scope It Out 5K – Washington, DC

    Sunday was the 10th Annual Scope it Out 5K.  It was my fifth year running to celebrate my husband being colon cancer free! Seems so long ago now that he was recovering from surgery and chemo. Every year, I run this race as a reminder of how far we have come from those days and to continue to do my part…

  • Wreaths Across America: Not All Family Events Go As Planned

    Wanting to give back this holiday season and also get my kids out of the house, out of their normal weekend routine, I made plans to head into DC to participate in the Wreaths Across America event at Arlington National Cemetery. The plan was to meet up with my friends Pam and Foxy at 815…

  • I’m on Team Mathias

    A few weeks ago, I tried Zumba. According to Wikipedia, Zumba is an aerobic fitness program featuring movements inspired by various styles of Latin American dance and performed primarily to Latin American dance music. I went with a few of my boxing buddies and we had a blast. After the first class, I realized it…

  • Friendship: Age Is Just A Number

    Yesterday, I met up with two of my dearest friends. One of the greatest things my fitness journey has brought into my life is the opportunity to meet some amazing people. Lani and Liz are two of those people I met almost three years ago at CrossFit. We will not see each other for a while…