Dear Judith,
Happy Anniversary!
This time last year you were about to help save your first life!
It's been one year since you made your first blood donation with the American Red Cross on 8/24/2007.
On behalf of the patients who's lives you have helped save, we would like to say "Thank You!" Each and every one of your 5 donations this year has touched so many people within your community.
If you are once again eligible to donate, you can find a blood drive in your neighborhood and make an appointment at www.DonateBloodNow.org. To speak directly with a Donor Satisfaction representative please call 1-800-GIVE LIFE. Please be sure to mention your Donor ID: XXXXX.
We're looking forward to celebrating future anniversaries and many more lives saved in the years to come!
Your friends at the American Red Cross - New York Penn Region.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
And James Robert laughed...
Last summer, before Jimmy got sick enough that he didn't want to leave the house, I visited. He was under doctor's orders not to drive because he was on some pretty hefty pain killers, so I got to be chauffeur while I was there. He was still strong enough to tick things off his To Do list, and although he had to rest, after those rest periods, he was pretty good. One of the things he needed to do was to get a part for the Burley - a bike trailer they had attached to his bike. He needed to attach it to Kate's bike and required a special part. So off we went to the bike store. While we were there, he window shopped. He told me he wanted to trade in his bike. He'd ridden Kate's and it was so much easier to ride than his. He wasn't wistful like he was in my later trips, knowing he wouldn't ever get that new bike. He and I discussed it like it was definitely going to happen after we got cancer under control.
So yesterday, when I headed out to purchase a new bike for myself after giving mine up 16 years ago, Jimmy was a little voice in my head for the trip. Mark and I stopped first at the store where I'd bought my touring bike so many years ago - Peddlers in Henrietta. The CHEAPEST road bike they had was $779. I believe Jimmy was standing behind me, holding me up so I didn't pass out from sticker shock. I took a test ride on the bike and boy was it nice. It seemed to practically ride itself, but as Jimmy was so fond of telling me, I'm cheap, so I just couldn't wrap my head around $800 for a bicycle! Off we went to Towners and Park Ave Bikes where the least expensive road bikes were $850 to $900. I was told I could thank high gas prices for the high price of commuter bikes. Ugh... Mark and I went to lunch, the entire time I was saying I just couldn't do it. I couldn't spend $800 on a bike. In my head, I was saying to Jimmy "I know, I know, I'm cheap. But Jimmy, $800????"
I came home...bikeless...still struggling with my dilemma. I'm having trouble running still. Yesterday's 3 mile run was actually a 1 mile jog, a 1 mile limp, and then a final 1 mile hobble. So I really need to get a bike. But $800???
Later that evening Mark tossed a Performance Bicycle sale catalog at me. I went to their outlet Web site and found a $1399 K2 T:Nine Jetstream Ladies Road Bike on sale for $699. A 10% off promotion and the whole thing could arrive at my door for less than $700. As I was trying to decide, I remembered going to the bike store with Jim. I would give anything to be able to lay down the $800 for a new bike for him. If I could do it, I'd lay the money down for him in an absolute heart beat, but I can't. In the end, I decided life really is too short and I bought myself the bike.
Today I went to Performance's Web site to look at shipping to see how long it'll take to arrive and saw that today I could've gotten 20% off instead of yesterday's 10%! and I swear I could hear James Robert laughing.
So yesterday, when I headed out to purchase a new bike for myself after giving mine up 16 years ago, Jimmy was a little voice in my head for the trip. Mark and I stopped first at the store where I'd bought my touring bike so many years ago - Peddlers in Henrietta. The CHEAPEST road bike they had was $779. I believe Jimmy was standing behind me, holding me up so I didn't pass out from sticker shock. I took a test ride on the bike and boy was it nice. It seemed to practically ride itself, but as Jimmy was so fond of telling me, I'm cheap, so I just couldn't wrap my head around $800 for a bicycle! Off we went to Towners and Park Ave Bikes where the least expensive road bikes were $850 to $900. I was told I could thank high gas prices for the high price of commuter bikes. Ugh... Mark and I went to lunch, the entire time I was saying I just couldn't do it. I couldn't spend $800 on a bike. In my head, I was saying to Jimmy "I know, I know, I'm cheap. But Jimmy, $800????"
I came home...bikeless...still struggling with my dilemma. I'm having trouble running still. Yesterday's 3 mile run was actually a 1 mile jog, a 1 mile limp, and then a final 1 mile hobble. So I really need to get a bike. But $800???
Later that evening Mark tossed a Performance Bicycle sale catalog at me. I went to their outlet Web site and found a $1399 K2 T:Nine Jetstream Ladies Road Bike on sale for $699. A 10% off promotion and the whole thing could arrive at my door for less than $700. As I was trying to decide, I remembered going to the bike store with Jim. I would give anything to be able to lay down the $800 for a new bike for him. If I could do it, I'd lay the money down for him in an absolute heart beat, but I can't. In the end, I decided life really is too short and I bought myself the bike.
Today I went to Performance's Web site to look at shipping to see how long it'll take to arrive and saw that today I could've gotten 20% off instead of yesterday's 10%! and I swear I could hear James Robert laughing.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
The crazy season has begun
It's the beginning of August and Fall sports have already begun in earnest at the Kling household. Sean is beginning his 5th year in the local youth football league and Kirsten is trying out for Varsity Volleyball for the high school. It's difficult to believe that last year at this time, Mom and Dad had already begun their month+ long stay at Jim and Kate's.
Jim loved this photo of Sean and had me print and frame it for his bedside. He said it was very cool how I got the referee in the background and the other team players coming at Sean. Apparently,I even got the Nike logo showing on the ball. He also had me get a larger print and send it to Sean with a note about how proud he was of him. We framed it and hung it over his bed.
Jakers is just all boy and it makes me sad knowing Jim won't be around to share moments like this with him. Jim was so proud of Sean, and Kirsten. He would've been even more so of Jake and Rachel.
The beginning of this season has also given me a few smiles. Last year, when Kirsten tried out for Volleyball, she called Jim during tryouts to let him know how it was going. After she talked with him, I got on the phone.
He said to me "I don't think Kirsten likes the coach."
Me "Why do you say that?"
Jim "She kept calling him Coach Yucko."
I started laughing "His name is Coach Yockell. She's saying Yockell, not Yucko."
Jim "OH! Well, that makes more sense."
So poor Coach Yockell is forever called Coach Yucko in our house because it makes us smile and think of how funny Uncle Jim was. Some day the child will probably slip up and call him that in practice and she'll be benched.
We're almost a month away from a year since Jim passed away. It still seems unreal to me that he's gone. Unreal and very wrong. Rachel told me last week that she missed her Daddy and wished he didn't have to live in heaven. She would like him to live with them. The "they" I always like to quote to Mark say that it gets better with time. It wasn't better at a month. It wasn't better at 6 months. So far, it's not better as we head towards a year. We'll miss Uncle Jim a lot this fall as we head into our first sports season without one of our biggest cheerleaders.
Jim loved this photo of Sean and had me print and frame it for his bedside. He said it was very cool how I got the referee in the background and the other team players coming at Sean. Apparently,I even got the Nike logo showing on the ball. He also had me get a larger print and send it to Sean with a note about how proud he was of him. We framed it and hung it over his bed. Jakers is just all boy and it makes me sad knowing Jim won't be around to share moments like this with him. Jim was so proud of Sean, and Kirsten. He would've been even more so of Jake and Rachel.
The beginning of this season has also given me a few smiles. Last year, when Kirsten tried out for Volleyball, she called Jim during tryouts to let him know how it was going. After she talked with him, I got on the phone.
He said to me "I don't think Kirsten likes the coach."
Me "Why do you say that?"
Jim "She kept calling him Coach Yucko."
I started laughing "His name is Coach Yockell. She's saying Yockell, not Yucko."
Jim "OH! Well, that makes more sense."
So poor Coach Yockell is forever called Coach Yucko in our house because it makes us smile and think of how funny Uncle Jim was. Some day the child will probably slip up and call him that in practice and she'll be benched.
We're almost a month away from a year since Jim passed away. It still seems unreal to me that he's gone. Unreal and very wrong. Rachel told me last week that she missed her Daddy and wished he didn't have to live in heaven. She would like him to live with them. The "they" I always like to quote to Mark say that it gets better with time. It wasn't better at a month. It wasn't better at 6 months. So far, it's not better as we head towards a year. We'll miss Uncle Jim a lot this fall as we head into our first sports season without one of our biggest cheerleaders.
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