Running for Anna

On December 12, 2010 our family was devastated by the loss of my niece, Anna Rogotzke, on her fourth birthday, to a rare cancer called Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma. On December 4, 2011, I ran in the California International Marathon to raise money for the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative, a leader in the fight against sarcomas. This blog is created to update those interested in my journey and progress as I train for this event and events thereafter.

....And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,
2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Shower, Family, Wedding, and Baseball

What a whirlwind weekend! 

It started on Friday when I flew to this lovely state:
Most of my family live in Wisconsin, and I visited over the weekend.  The main purpose of my visit was to throw a shower/brunch for my sister, who will be celebrating a wedding in November.  I also was able to attend my cousin's wedding, which was absolutely beautiful.  Turns out I had a surprise event thrown in, as well...more on that later. 

October in Wisconsin can produce all sorts of weather.  The few days I was there were GORGEOUS!  It was around 80 degrees, and the fall colors were stunning.
My two beautiful sisters
Perfect day for a wedding
Pretty country church
Fall in the Midwest
My cuty patooty nephew
More cuty patooty nieces and nephews
Picture from my 7-mile run before church on Sunday...yes, I did run while I was there!
Remember I said there was a surprise event thrown in?  I am a huge Brewers (and Packers) fan.  The last time the Brewers won their division was 1982, and I was 12 years old (please don't do the math).  I had a notebook back then, with which I tracked all the players and their stats.  I may or may not have shed tears when they lost in Game 7 of the World Series to the Cardinals.  My favorite athlete EVER is Robin Yount.  To this day, I would challenge anyone to find a better example of what a sports role model should be.  He spent his entire career with the Brewers and is a class act (no...I didn't get to meet him if that's what you're thinking).  Through my sister, who may or may not have a connection to the team, I was able to attend Game 1 of the National League Championship Series at Miller Park in Milwaukee!!  To say I was excited is maybe the biggest understatement I could make. 
Miller Park
Almost inside!
Beautiful ballpark
Little sis
Me living out a dream...you can almost tell it's actually me.
Needless to say, this was an experience of a lifetime!  So awesome.  And, as a bonus, they won (good thing I didn't go to Game 2...that would have been disappointing.)  All in all, a wonderful, fun weekend!  Didn't sleep much, but time with family certainly outweighs that unimportant matter.  :)  However, it certainly was difficult to wake up and get back to work this morning...ugh!

8 comments:

  1. awww, it looks like u had such an awesome time!!! WHAT a surprise, now, i'm not a big baseball fan but i know wat it feels like to be blown away and excited thru the roof by things like that...so i'm so pumped for u!!

    like i always say, u are a BEAST for being able to get up and run at those horrid hours!! keep it up girl! :)

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  2. SO AWESOME you got to go to Game 1. I loved that Brewers team in 1982. I had a plastic Brewers batting helmet that I bought at Walmart, even though I was a Royals fan. My son got Ryan Braun's autograph on a ball at his last game in the Minor's at the Triple-A Iowa Cubs a couple of years ago. He hit two home runs in a double header that day and was called up the next day. After the game, he got his autograph ... pretty cool! Any opponent of the Cards is a team I root for!!! Go BREW-CREW!!!

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  3. so freaking awesome. first. family time is always great. but i have ALWAYS wanted to go to a post-season game! so i am super jealous and living vicariously through you and your pictures :) what a blast!

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  4. OK, Cardinals fan here--that Jim at 50after40 is just so rude! :^) In 1982, I was nine, and I remember my dad coming in to wake me up to tell me the Cards had won Game 7. I was sorta happy with Monday's game, but I'm glad you got to go to the one your boys won. You can imagine the tension at my house last week, as my husband is a life-long Phillies fan.

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  5. Sounds like a great trip! Your pictures are great and I'm glad you got to go to your game!

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  6. What a fun trip! And a baseball game is a pretty awesome surprise!

    And yay for running with new scenery =)

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  7. Oh this makes me so happy! Beautiful scenery, family times, and a dream come true. You are glowing!

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  8. How exciting that you were able to go to a Brewers game while you were there! It looks like a great weekend in our home state.

    Thanks for all the kind words on my marathon posts.1

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